Jue James attempts a tough two lap coastal marathon despite recovering from debilitating ankle injury...
Well I made it to the start line of stage 3 of Endurancelife’s 7x7x7 challenge. The preparation hasn’t been ideal, but I was pleased to be able to start. I had hardly been able to train since the last round 7 weeks ago due to my major ankle injury (happened 2 days after the last stage, falling over a friend’s dog!) and the snowy/icy conditions over the Christmas period. With my right ankle heavily strapped (to hopefully avoid any further injury) I knew it would be a big physical and psychological challenge. The Portland marathon course consisted of 2 laps around the ‘isle’, including an additional 3km stretch up Chesil beach and back down the other side of the causeway each time, passing by the finish area at the end of the first lap (thankfully, this is the only stage that has this format!). I must admit that I didn’t have high expectations for this round – the ‘isle’ didn’t look that exciting from glancing at the map – but sometimes that’s a good thing!
Gary (the race director) emphasised at the race briefing the enormity of the psychological challenge due to the 2 lap format and the inclusion of Chesil beach. When mentioning Chesil beach he said ‘you can either both hate it, and let it wear you down, or you can learn to enjoy it!’, but more about that later. He also warned of the narrow waterlogged paths next to the steep cliffs where it was best to go through the water or round the right hand side, especially those who suffer from vertigo, as it was a long way down to the left. Oh, and he warned us of the overhanging rock that we could hit our heads on!
Thankfully the weather was bright and calm to start, if but a bit chilly. The race started fast on flat tarmac for a few hundred metres before heading off road and up the first of the two main hills. I was pleased that I managed to run up it and keep what seemed a good pace. Shortly after there was a slight bottle neck up a short steep bank which gave a bit of a breather! After a flatter section across the top the first checkpoint soon appeared and then a nice zigzag descent. Usually I like to up the tempo on the descents but not this time; I took it easy not wanting to risk further injury on my ankle. A beautiful section followed along the coastal path on the east side of the isle: great views, interesting terrain, sun shining and much warmer now out of the wind. The running conditions were tricky at times due to the mud and rocks, and unfortunately I slipped on one of the rocks, sod’s law on my right foot, and tweaked my ankle. The strapping saved me completely going over on it but it was still enough to cause pain for some time. Thankfully the beauty of the surroundings helped distract me! I even managed to keep attention and not hit my head on the previously mentioned rock.
The rest of the section to the Bill of Portland was similarly beautiful and enjoyable running, bar a few hundred metres on a footpath beside the road. The lighthouse at ‘The Bill’ soon loomed and once checked in it was off north on the west side of the isle. The first hill was very deceptive – looked nothing from a distance but once climbing it was much harder work than anticipated. Once at the top the effort was rewarded; the run along the edge was flat to undulating, all the way to the end of West Cliff, with far reaching views for several kilometres. The main effort was due to the mud, the cold wind and avoiding the worst of the puddles, remembering to be careful and not go round the left side of them! When Chesil beach came into view the full extent of the ‘challenge’ ahead became apparent.
Having already tweaked my ankle once, I took it much steadier on the main descent to a short tarmac section before the beach. Thankfully we’d been forewarned about the difficulty of the beach, and yes extreme effort was needed to make any reasonable progress running on the pebbles. I decided to go for the ‘enjoy it’ approach and managed to focus on the beauty of the surf pounding on the pebbles below, trying not to think about having to do the beach a second time! The biggest shock was coming off the pebbles: the legs had just turned to lead. It took a while to get them going again and then the biggest challenge, running past the finish area and heading off for another lap knowing what was ahead.
The first lap didn’t seem too bad (apart from coming off the pebbles) and I was able to run 99% of it. The second lap was a different story. The hills seemed to be much steeper and longer and mostly I was reduced to walking them. It was a real psychological battle with few stretches where I felt good! But against all odds I made it to the finish. The second lap ended up taking nearly 25 minutes longer than the first (though some of that time was taken up helping another competitor with a suspected broken wrist) but I was just pleased to have finished. Main thought: I need to do longer than an hour in training!! I’ll try to give that a go and see what happens next time. Another thought: good choice to have worn my Inov8 gaiter socks.
Overall this was an awesome course which far exceeded any expectations. I even enjoyed the beach!!
Monday, 8 February 2010
Jue’s 7x7x7 challenge: Stage 3, Portland (23/1/10)
Jue’s Endurancelife 7x7x7 challenge continues: Stage 2, The Gower, South Wales (5/12/09)
Jue James latest exploits in her bid to run all 7 Endurancelife coastal marathons in 7 months:
I’m sitting writing this in Southmead Minor Injury Unit (MIU), Bristol, but more about that later…
I’ve returned from the second round of the Endurancelife 7x7x7 challenge on the Gower peninsula. Since the last round 4 weeks previously I’ve suffered from 2 bouts of a sickness bug caught from my son Callum, and had to fight off getting my daughter Caitlin’s cold! But undeterred I headed West full of enthusiasm for another, hopefully beautiful, run in an area of outstanding natural beauty. This stage was voted the best from last years competitors so was full of promise, unlike the weather! The preceding weeks, days, night were wet, wet, wet and the wind was very strong and blustery. After a disturbed night in the van, literally shaken awake by the wind and the torrential downpours, the morning dawned dry but cold (high wind chill). Due to flooding and fallen trees in parts of the course the organisers had had to alter the course – and not wanting to short change competitors they had extended it to nearer 28 miles! There were a few groans from the participants; the organiser responsible was nowhere to be seen!!
The race venue was at Hillend Caravan Park situated just over the sand dunes from the beach. The course was circular; this year it was run in a clockwise direction. We started with a short run across the car park to split people up, then straight over the sand dunes onto the beach. Immediate hard work with the soft sand and the head wind, but it got the legs going! As with the last round there was a beach clean up challenge – every competitor in the 10K, ½, and marathon was challenged to pick up at least one piece of litter and put it into the bins at the far end of the beach. Most, like me, waited until the end of the 2km stretch of beach to pick something up – it was only on the third attempt that I finally succeeded (initially I tried two bits of string but they were well & truly stuck in the sand; I went for a piece of plastic the third time!).
At the end of the beach was a beautiful undulating stretch through the sand dunes to Broughton Bay and the first check point; along this stretch my mind was kept occupied remembering great holidays on the Gower, with friends, when I was a teenager. Then it was the climb up onto Llanmadoc Hill and a lovely varied stretch over the centre of the peninsula where at times I could have been on the top of the Mendips! Very pleasant running but I was thinking more steep hills please!!
The next checkpoint was at Nicolaston on the southern edge of the peninsula. The stretch from there was really enjoyable – beach and beautiful coastal path including sections of single-track through the woods. Great views and more hilly! I struggled a bit across the beach at Oxwich Bay but once in the woods I was running well again.
At some point beyond Port Eynon I remember a fellow marathoner saying ‘this is the killer stretch’, referring to a long section of continually undulating terrain. He was right! It was at this point when the legs were tiring in the last ¼ of the race and there were no steep hills to ‘walk’. But run/walk was what I was reduced to at times. Thankfully once beyond ‘Kitchen Corner’ I had literally turned a corner (unlike the weather that had turned really grim!). My legs were working better and I was looking forward to the climb up Rhossili Down. Once at the cairn there was about 1km across the top before the final descent. What a way to finish! Most competitors around me were struggling to descend but I enjoyed blasting past at least 6 people before reaching Hillend Caravan Park and the finish. Overall yet another fantastic course but possibly not enough big hills!! I’m sure my wish will be granted in the coming rounds Despite feeling I was running better than the last round I finished in a lower overall position. It seems that this round attracts a lot of faster trail runners as it is less extreme than some of the other rounds?!
So why, you ask, am I in the MIU? Nothing to do with the marathon as you may have worked out. And 2 days later I could still walk down stairs! However, that night a friends dog arrived to stay for a few days; a very lively 18 month old Labrador. Having escaped out the front door last time she stayed and caused a lot of worry, I panicked when she made a beeline for the slightly open front door. I sprinted after her and attempted to grab her; she stopped but I didn’t! The end result was me flying over her and landing heavily from a height on my right leg, with my foot going underneath me. Loud crack, a lot of pain and swelling and (despite all the right immediate treatment) the next morning I was unable to weight bear. So here I am in the MIU for examination and x-rays. Thankfully no fracture, but I am in need of crutches to walk. Optimistically I will be at the next round (being an ex-physio helps) but know I will definitely need strapping tape. At least it happened at the time when there is a 7 week gap to the next stage (due to Christmas) rather than the usual 4 week gap. Only time will tell if I make it to stage 3…
Sunday, 7 February 2010
G3 AllAboutTriathlon Fell Race Win
On the 23rd January I took part in the first of the G3 series fell races. They are all around 10km long and take place out the back of Guildford, Surrey from Newlands Corner down and then up to St Martha's church (and then down and then up and then down and then up etc etc).
You don't get many fell races around the south so these three races are always well attended. They are also great fun and ensure that you stay right off the roads and they are suitably hilly. Each race has a slightly different route. The first one is possibly the flattest ....the next one (15 Feb) is not...
Anyway - I ran well and hard and was pleased to finish first lady and in the top 10 overall (6th). It was muddy and slippy and so fell shoes were the way to go and I wasn't the only one in Inov8's which was great to see.
So - looking forward to next Saturday - hopefully there won't be too much snow on the ground although the weather forecast is certainly for a cold week...even down south! Bring it on!
Tuesday, 2 February 2010
Wenger Patagonia Expedition Race
This Friday (5th Feb) adventure racing team Helly Hansen Prunesco (Nic MacLeod, Andy Wilson, Mark Humphrey and Bruce Duncan) fly out to southern Chile to try and defend their Wenger Patagonia Expedition Race title, won in some awful conditions over 7 days last year.
The race starts on Tuesday (9th Feb) and teams will race continuously for between 7 and 10 days, over a 600km route in Tierra del Fuego at the southernmost tip of South America. The 3 core disciplines will be hiking, mountain biking and kayaking, with some ropework thrown in as well.
Last year the route started in sight of the magnificent Torres del Paine and headed south finishing 7 days later in Cabo Froward at the tip of the mainland, after a final trekking stage which itself took almost 3 days. This final 120km foot stage included some of the toughest conditions I have ever encountered. Indescribably remote, with no tracks or signs of any previous human passage, at one stage we fought through a primeval forest, covered in moss a foot thick, taking 8hrs to cover just 3km.
The weather was particularly bad as well with incessant rain and the constant wind the area is famous for, as well as temperatures much lower than normal, hovering around zero. The tough conditions accounted for many, with only 3 teams finishing, and of those just HHP managed to avoid having anyone end up in hospital. HHP however led from the gun so our win was well deserved.
This year is Chile's bicentennial and race director Stjepan Pavicic will no doubt want to exceed even the wildest expectations. And there are some pretty wild expectations. The race heads further south onto Tierra del Fuego, and some photos from the route recce filled me with awe and trepidation in equal measure. This year we're delighted to be using the Roclite 315 which I'm certain will be an excellent shoe for the tough foot stages.
The event website tempts us with a route that traces a new passage through the snow-capped Cordillera Darwin as well as crossing the icy Beagle channel. No doubt the race organisers will have picked a spectacular route. The race has also attracted a maximum field of 15 teams from across the world, as well as film and photographic media. Let's see how many make it to the finish camp, and let's hope we're first amongst them to pick the prime camp spot.
We'll be carrying Spot trackers, so our progress can be followed (if they work) at the event website: www.patagonianexpeditionrace.com
Monday, 18 January 2010
First Training Camp of the Year
The British Orienteering team hit the forests of the Lake District last week for a training camp geared towards the World Championships, which will be held in Trondheim in August. Team Inov8 members Oli Johnson, Graham Gristwood and Rachael Elder all took part in the camp, which involved lots of high quality training in the technical terrain surrounding Lake Windermere.
Heather Gardener disappearing into the dark forest...
Jenny Johnson racing through the snowy terrainThursday, 31 December 2009
Happy New Year!
Make it a goody!
Following on from Lucy's skiing in the Peak District, here is an igloo in the Howgills. I was running there on Monday, a guy was busy on top of Arant Haw building this impressive structure.
It was a beautiful day, there is so much snow! Skiing is a better option than running high in the hills at the moment and I'll be doing some this weekend :o)
Wednesday, 23 December 2009
That well known ski resort - Edale
Yesterday I saw the most snow fall in New Mills I've ever seen! So brought out the skis and turned our drive into a ski slope (the lift system left a little to be desired...)
Today the snow had stopped and kinder looked very inviting, so we headed to Edale.
Starting off with Grindslow knoll we found several areas of good thigh burning snow to play with! A 10 mile trek ended up with the best snow of the day being discovered off Brown Knoll on our final run! Compact and frozen having been in the shade most of the day it made for some excellent skiing :-)
This was awesome considering I'd resigned myself to no skiing due to the student budget this year! Carrying a quarter of my body weight in knee deep snow made the 10miles an absolute epic and I have just sat down, I'm not sure I'll be straightening my legs for a while...
